Seiko Brings Its Prospex Collection to the Streets

Seiko’s Prospex collection is the brand’s go-to range of reliable dive and sports watches. Initially focused on extremely durable, highly-legible dive instruments for professional divers in the 1960s, the uniquely-shaped cases that Seiko coined eventually became iconic — think of the Tuna can, the Turtle and the Samurai. These very recognizable sports watches are the foundation of the Prospex collection and are very much the identity of Seiko.

The Tuna can especially, nicknamed by fans for the case’s resemblance to a can of tuna, is what comes to mind when one thinks of Seiko. While it can be worn as an everyday timepiece, it’s major utility is being able to thrive in the deepest depths of waters. Seiko wanted to take that mindset of toughness and offer a modern take with a more stylistic sense intertwined. With that intention, they recently released the Prospex Street Series ($450 and only available online) to be everyday sport watches.

“When you look at the Tunas of the past, these things were built to specs strong enough you could run a tank over them,” Eric Hofmann, SVP of Business Development of Seiko USA, recently told Gear Patrol. “The design was all about durability and ruggedness. So we wanted to deliver something that was in that same vein of being durable, rugged and everyday but also fashionable. And this is where we landed.”

Utilizing the signature Tuna can case and bezel, the three Prospex Street Series timepieces take the fabled case to new levels with monochrome green, blue and gray colorways, each accented with a touch of black on the bezel. The 47mm steel cases are coated with a matte finish and the rotating bezels are given a colored insert to match the overall colors of the case, while the silicone strap and dial also feature coordinating texture to resemble pavement, further enhancing the urban aesthetic of the collection. The result stands out on the wrist while offering a snug, comfortable wear.

But don’t let the attractive styling fool you — these are still very much rugged watches capable of anything you can put them through. The solar-powered divers make use of Seiko’s in-house caliber V157 movement and offer 10 months of power reserve. They are also water resistant up to 200m and are fully compliant with the international standard for all diver’s watches (ISO 6425).

These are all traits of the Prospex collection in general. And Hofmann confirmed that this sentiment would, of course, be included in any Prospex collection timepiece. “It’s all in the eyes of the consumer and our fans,” Hofmann said. “We’ve got all of these gems that are iconic to the brand and we’re going to seed that into [any new] collection.”

The Prospex Street Series is the next evolution of Seiko’s legendary sports watches. These Street Series timepieces are built to thrive in the urban environment while still being tough enough to take on any outdoor excursion.